Contact: Beth Stone (508) 584-8120
BROCKTON – After careful consideration, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz has cancelled the 2020 Plymouth County Drug and Alcohol Resistance Education Summer Program.
Held for one week each July, the annual camp celebrated its 25th year in 2019, and is sponsored by DA Cruz, Plymouth County Sheriff Joseph D. McDonald, Jr., the Plymouth County Police Chiefs and the school resource officers. The camp, which addresses the social pressures facing 5th and 6th graders, hosts more than 500 kids, counselors and campers, from 21 towns in Plymouth County.
DA Cruz notified police chiefs and school resource officers of the camp cancellation in a letter late last week. DA Cruz cited the early school closure and difficulty of social distancing such a large group as the reasoning behind the difficult decision.
“The decision to cancel this year’s program did not come lightly and there were several factors that led up to this unfortunate cancellation,” DA Cruz said. “These trying times cast doubt on whether we would adequately be able to keep children and police officers safe, and I felt it would be ill-advised for us to proceed forward.”
DA Cruz and Sheriff McDonald host the camp with the assistance of drug forfeited monies, but they also rely heavily on donations from local businesses, the same businesses that have been hardest hit economically by the pandemic.
Towns who participated last year were Abington, Bridgewater, Brockton, Carver, Duxbury, East Bridgewater, Hanover, Hanson, Hingham, Hull, Lakeville, Marshfield, Norwell, Pembroke, Plymouth, Plympton, Rockland, Scituate, Wareham, West Bridgewater and Whitman.
DA Cruz vowed that the camp will be back and better than ever in summer, 2021.
“I always look forward to this week of summer, but I have put much thought into this decision and believe that this is best during these trying times. I look forward to the 2021 summer and fully intend to resume the program next year.”